Search engines don't look for meaning, they look for exact words. "Town" and "village" may mean, essentially, the same thing, but search engines don't know that.
Make use of advanced search screens
If you're looking for an exact phrase, put it in quotation marks.
Limit your searches in order to return more relevant results
In order to limit your search to .edu or .gov sites (which tend to be more reliable) add "site:edu" or site:gov" to your search terms
Note: you should not put the "site:edu" or site:gov" in quotation marks when you're searching. Do not put a space between the colon and .edu or .gov
Limiting your search to the title of the webpage can often bring back more relevant results.
In order to search for terms that are only in the title search intitle:term (for one search term) or allintitle:term term term (for multiple search terms).
Note: Do not put a space between the colon and the first term
Put the most important words first
Search engines don't understand "natural language" (i.e. the way people talk)--use a string of keywords, not a sentence or question
It doesn't matter whether or not your search makes grammatical sense.
Vary your search strategies
Different topics can require different search strategies, and different search strategies will return different results.
If at first you don't succeed, search again! (Or ask for help!)
Searching Tips
Use a variety of keywords
Make use of advanced search screens
If you're looking for an exact phrase, put it in quotation marks.
Limit your searches in order to return more relevant results
Put the most important words first
Vary your search strategies